ForewordsAcademic Director, Student Board Representative and CEMS Club President

Martin Strnad President of the CEMS Club

Fall 2011

CEMS Club Prague Quarterly

Jiří Hnilica Academic Director

Alexandra LevrincováStudent Board Representative

Social Events in Fall 2011Team building weekend, CEMS Day, Gala Night, Rotation Dinner, Meet the.., etc.

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Editorial

Dear Reader,

The start of a new semester usually

comes along with some changes. This

year is no exception: new students, a

new CEMS Club team, even more

awesome events than before and as

well some changes regarding the

journal. The first big difference being

the name. The “Prague Journal”

t u r n e d i n t o t h e “CEMS Clu b

Quarterly” and will be issued four

times throughout this academic year.

We hereby proudly present the first

issue which is full of interesting and

relevant information for all Prague

“CEMSies”. You will find articles

about various topics such as our

corporate partners, upcoming events,

interviews and much more.

All issues of the CEMS Club Quarterly

will be available online on our

website www.cems.cz. The first and

the third issue will also be printed. At

this point I especially want to thank

the companies that are supporting

this project.

We hope that we will be able to

always provide you with interesting

articles and would be very happy for

your feedback.

Finally, I would like to add a personal

comment: I am very much looking

forward to spend this year together

with you and I am convinced that we

will make it a good one. Enjoy your

first day of the new semester at VŠE

and have fun reading the CEMS Club

Quarterly!

Sandra

ForewordsPresident, Academic Directorp1

CEMS Club PragueShort introduction of students behind Clubp2

Events of Fall 2011Team building, Gala Night, CEMS Day, Rotation Dinner p4

Student BoardShort message from our Student Board Representativep5

p6InterviewJan Šach, CEO of Indesit Czech Republicp7

CCP InitiativesInternship Guide, CEMSies on the road

Content

For the rest of panorama, turn the page

p3CEMS Club PartnersWho are the Corporate Partners for the year 2011/2012?

1Quarterly

Dear students,

It is my great pleasure to open the first issue of the

CEMS Club Quarterly. Time passes by quickly and we

have just started the already fourth academic year since

CEMS was integrated into our regular Masters´

programme. According to the students´ feedback the

curriculum has again been adjusted a bit. We have added

t wo new ma ndato r y cou r s e s ( Ps ychology i n

Management; Entrepreneurship and Creativity) and

dropped another one. With already three corporate

partners we really succeed in bringing companies closer

to students and in reinforcing rigour and relevance of

the CEMS curriculum.

Remember that it is not only us who are responsible for

the quality of the programme. It is notably you –

student s as representat ives and heralds of the

programme with your att i t udes, opin ions and

responsibilities who are contributing to the integrity of

the programme.

The Faculty of Business Administration strives for an

international competitiveness and is under the process

of EQUIS accreditation. Although the result is uncertain

the process itself has helped already a lot: both in

restructuring the internal processes as well as in

addressing ways how management education should be

delivered. CEMS as a benchmark plays an important role

in these activities and I am proud that I can be a part of

it. May the CEMS spirit penetrate the faculty! Please

keep your fingers crossed.

Jiří HnilicaAcademic Director of CEMS at VŠE

Dear readers,

The fact that you are holding this magazine in your

hands means that the new semester has started and I

welcome you to it. And what a semester it will be: We

have some exciting news from the corporate partners

section and also the social activities will see some

boost. While trying out some new ways of how to

promote CEMS among the students we will, of course,

also bring back the all-time favourites.

As every year we want to welcome the new students.

The first year and the exchange students will expand our

network and I am sure that we will have a lot of fun

studying together.

The CEMS Club Prague is here to make your studies

unique in comparison to other programmes by

facilitating the contact between students and giving

them the opportunity for further development in

cooperation with our corporate partners. Only together

we can be better; so let’s use this opportunity to the

fullest.

This very first Quarterly that you are holding in your

hands is the rebirth of an old concept with the aim of

informing you about relevant changes and about what is

to come.

Martin StrnadPresident of the CEMS Club Prague

Academ

ic Director

Clu

b Pre

side

nt

Jiří HnilicaAcademic Director

Renata ŠubrtováAcademic Coordinator

Gabriela BöhmováCorporate Partners

Academic Staff

Ondřej Brož is the head of Student Relations. During his

semester at the Copenhagen Business School he did a journey

through several CEMS schools where he could gather experience

and best practices. In addition to the socialising activities Ondřej

is also responsible for most of the design you will see from the

CEMS Club Prague. He is a keen skier and football fan.

2Quarterly

Karolina Štochlová has the responsibility to coordinate our

Marketing and PR department. She is not only an outstanding

student but also worked in Marketing, PR and Event management

during the whole period of her studies which means that she has a lot of experience in this field. She did her exchange semester at

the Vienna University of Economics & Business. Karolina is a formidable tennis player.

Alexandra Levrincová is this-year’s CEMS Student Board

Representative of VŠE and part of the CEMS Club. She is mainly

responsible for working on international projects within the

CEMS Community and has the opportunity to influence the general development of the CEMS program. She has spent her

exchange semester in St. Gallen, Switzerland, with focus on International Management and Finance. Alexandra is a former

dancer, lover of Latin-American cultures and a strong protagonist

of the CEMS programme.

Martin Strnad is the president of the CEMS Club Prague and

has spent his exchange semester at the University of St. Gallen in

Switzerland. His task is to look presentable, speak nicely and

also to coordinate all activities. Martin is a big fan of TV series, movies and fantasy books.

Marek Palička spent his exchange term at the Vienna University

of Economics & Business. He is leading the corporate partners

department. Though born and raised in Prague he moved to

Mladá Boleslav to do his Bachelor degree in the Škoda Auto Vysoká Škola, where he learned how important team spirit and

togetherness are in small programmes such as ours. Marek is a passionate volleyball player and a fan of cars.

Corporate Partners

Sandra Huber did her exchange semester at the NOVA School of

Business and Economics in Lisbon where she was also a member

of the local CEMS Club. She is the coordinator of this very

journal and is also responsible for bringing together exchange and local students. She enjoys doing sports, especially martial

arts.

Linda Kunecová spent her exchange semester at the Stockholm

School of Economics and did her internship in a venture capital

advisory company in London. She has taken on the task of

creating an Internship Guide, a tool that should help the students to find their internship abroad. In her free time Linda is a

passionate photographer.

Michal Hulín did his exchange semester at the University of

Sydney and discovered his passion for finance already during his

studies at the University of Economics in Prague. He is

responsible for transparency and stable finances in the CEMS Club Prague. For him, this is the cornerstone of every

organization and key to success. In his free time, Michal sings and plays the guitar as well as the piano in music bands.

Student Relations

Internship Guide

Martin Sedlák is probably the most CEMSational person in the

team. He spent his semester at the National University of

Singapore, took part in many conferences and experienced the

diversity of different cultures through work, study and traveling. He is responsible for our Internet presence and for keeping our

website and social media groups up to date.

Internet, Social Media

CEMS Club Prague

SBR

Marketing

Socialising

Treasurer

President

Procter&Gamble

has one of the largest and strongest

portfolios of trusted, quality brands,

including Gillette, Pantene, Pampers, Lenor,

Ariel, Always, Head & Shoulders, Braun, Duracell

and more… Today, P&G has operations in more

than 80 countries and its products are sold in over

160 countries, making P&G one of the biggest and

most successful consumer goods companies in the

world.

P&G’s most important asset are its People. Therefore,

we are committed to the long-term well-being of our

employees and offer them an environment that

supports their work-life balance.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

is an international network of leading

consulting companies. More than 163,000

experts in 151 countries perform audits and

provide accounting, tax, human resource, financial

and corporate advisory to global organisations, local

companies and public institutions all around the

world.

 

In the Czech Republic, we have more than 680

employees in three offices: Prague, Brno and Ostrava.

Ro la n d

B e r g e r S t r a t e g y

Consultants, founded in 1967,

is one of the world's leading

strategy consultancies. With over

2,000 employees working in 43 offices

in 31 countries worldwide, we have

success ful op erat ions in a l l major

international markets. We advise major

i n t er nat iona l i ndu s t r y a nd s er v i ce

companies as well as public institutions. All

employees at Roland Berger St rategy

Consultants are committed to our three

core values: entrepreneurship, partnership

and excellence.

 

Roland Berger is an independent

partnership owned by more

than 200 Partners.

UniCredit

Bank Czech Republic, a.s. is a

strong, dynamically growing bank.

Currently, you might have noticed its

expansion in the retail and SME segments.

UniCredit Bank already occupies a significant

posit ion in corporate investment banking,

especially in the areas of real estate financing,

large corporate banking, structured finance or

trade finance.

UniCredit Bank will be pleased to welcome

talented, strong-minded graduates, who will bring

new energy. UniCredit Bank offers various job

opportunities for graduates – Trainee Program

Prima or specialised positions for juniors

(more at www.unicreditbank.cz, Career

section).

3Quarterly

This year, we are proud to announce a new CEMS Club Prague partner – UniCredit Bank Czech Republic. This multinational

banking group is already active as a global CEMS partner and it is an honour to have UniCredit Bank also as our partner.

Together with the current three CEMS Club Prague partners PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter&Gamble and Roland Berger

Strategy Consultants they will do their best to support the activities of the CEMS Club Prague in order to create

unforgettable, both social and educational, events for all CEMS Prague students. Moreover, our common aim will be an even

closer cooperation between the CEMS students and our partners.

CEMS Club Prague Partners

September

October

30.9.-2.10. Team-building weekendThe traditional welcome weekend for 1st year, exchange and 2nd year students promises lots of fun and great activities just outside of Prague in   a nice environment reserved just for us.Location: Chocerady u Prahy

26.Gala NightDress up and come to enjoy the Gala

Night in a nice location in company of students, alumni and corporate partners.

It will be a night full of music, competitions and prizes, which has

become one of the main events of every semester in Prague.

Location: Na Marjánce, Prague 6

November

18.-19. CEMS Career ForumPacked with interviews, skill seminars, networking and great parties, this two-day event organized by CEMS is one of the highlights of every fall semester.Location: Corvinus University, Budapest

Calendar of Events

December

8.-11. CEMS Annual EventThis year the Annual Event is taking place in Lisbon. Participate and meet friends from your exchange semester and support graduating CEMSies. Why not get out of cold Prague?Location: Lisbon, NOVA School of Business & Economics

4Quarterly

12. CEMS DayThe 12th of October is our day, the CEMS Day! All the CEMSies are invited to our stand in Rajská budova to spread the word about CEMS MIM programme and share their experience about CEMS studies and life with other VŠE students and potential applicants. Of course, a CEMS drink will follow.Location: VŠE, Prague

16.Christmas Party

26. Welcome EventFirst day of school and kick-off event of the new semester. Come and enjoy spectacular views of Prague. Good food and welcome drink served for everybody in a company of your new classmates and representatives of corporate partners.Location: Rezavá Kotva, Detský ostrov, Prague

Apart from these one-off events, a number of other

exciting events will be taking place:

Rotation DinnerAttend a three-course meal in a nice restaurant where each

course is spent with a different company. A great networking

event where you can find out more about the companies in an

informal environment. This semester's two rotation dinners will

be dedicated to FMCG and Consulting.

Meet the......Marketing, Consulting, Finance. How is it to work in a

specific field? These short seminars are designed to bring

students together with professionals and share their

experience.

5Quarterly

11.10.; 25.11. CEMS DrinkEvery two or three weeks, we will meet up in pubs around

Prague to enjoy a couple of drinks. Some of the CEMS

Drinks will be organised in cooperation with our corporate

partners.

Running DinnerThe legendary event, that already takes place in other CEMS

countries such as Austria or Switzerland, has finally come to

Prague, too! What is it? Basically, it is about "running" all over

Prague, having fun with other CEMSies and enjoying a self-

prepared three-course menu. Each team of two will prepare one

dish at their kitchen, for which they get two other dishes

provided by other teams. After finishing the dessert, all CEMSies

will meet in a club to party. 

7.10. 16.12. tbc

For more information about events, contact Ondrej Broz at ondrej.broz@cems.cz or at +420 775677921

Hello everyone!

Welcome to a new semester at VŠE also from the Student

Board!

My name is Alexandra Levrincová and I have been elected as

the   VŠE Student Board Representative (SBR) for the year

2011/2012.

So what does it actually mean to be a SBR and what does the

Student Board do?

The Student Board is the voice of the CEMS students within

the CEMS global alliance. The Student Board consists of one

representative from each of the member schools and its

members work in 4 different areas with the aim to improve

the experience of all CEMS students within the community.

Our work focuses on four key areas:

MIM Affairs which seek to improve the CEMS MIM

programme quality by providing a link between the

students and other stakeholders.

Student Relations with the goal to implement and

supervise projects which have an impact across the

CEMS alliance in relation to awareness and

information sharing.

CEMS Club Support which seeks to provide support

and guidance to the CEMS Clubs in order to enrich

the CEMS experience for students.

CEMS Social Responsibility whose aim is to

stimulate, foster and develop this social awareness

amongst students. The objective is that Social

Responsibility should become present not only in

the classroom and in the CEMS MIM, but

throughout the whole CEMS experience.

On all these key topics we are working virtually throughout

the year and meet three times in different places. However, in

addition, at the universities we are responsible for listening

to your opinions and suggestions for improvement. Therefore,

throughout the whole year I  will be here at VŠE for YOU to

gather your ideas about CEMS and the CEMS MIM and to

deliver your recommendations to the student board in order

to improve the CEMS community life. And as a SBR is a part

of our great CEMS Club, which actually still remains a

leading example for other universities within the CEMS

community, we will do everything possible to make the

following year an unforgettable experience for all of you.

We all have a great year ahead of us, so let’s enjoy it as much

as possible together!

One more time – a warm welcome to CEMS and to the

upcoming academic year from the Student Board!

Alexandra Levrincová

Student Board Representative

Student Board

tbc

The colourful autumn and the long-awaited school beginning are quickly approaching. Wouldn't you agree that the CEMS MIM is just as varied as the

shades of   tree leaves at this time of a year?! We would like you to share a little part of that experience with your classmates, our corporate partners and potential

CEMS rookies. Therefore we come with a photo competition!

How to participate? First "Like" CEMS Club Prague @ facebook.com/cems.cz. Then send us your favourite snap from your previous semester abroad, your internship, or trip into

the wild to info@cems.cz. You can send your pictures till the 20/10/2011 and in the meantime everyone can vote for the best picture simply by "i like". The picture, which has the highest

amount of votes (at noon Oct25 2011) will be awarded at the CEMS Gala Casino Night on October 25. We are looking forward to see your epic shot!

Internship GuideWithin the CEMS Club Prague, we are currently working on a new and exciting project; the 'CEMS Internship

Guide'. Its purpose is to provide CEMS students with practical and interesting information about internships

that CEMS students and alumni have done in the past. We envision the CEMS Internship Guide to be the

bank of knowledge, experience and advice, for present and future CEMS students, who are looking for

their CEMS internship.

We would like to finalise and publish the 'CEMS Internship Guide' by the end of November 2011,

which means that the students who are leaving for their spring and summer internships 2012, will

already be able to use it for their search and decision-making process.

Everybody who already passed their international internship is welcome to provide his/

here xperience and information for the CEMS Internship Guide. For this purpose or in

case of any questions related to this project please contact Linda Kunecova:

linda.kunecova@cems.cz. Your contribution and cooperations highly appreciated

and we are looking forward to presenting the 'CEMS Internship Guide' to you

soon.

CompetitionCEMSies on the Road

6Quarterly

Did the companies recognise the CEMS degree as being something special? I assume abroad it was much more known.

I believe that this depends on the country, but even more on

the respect ive company. When you apply for an

international company that is part of CEMS, it helps you in

any country. For local Czech companies CEMS was

absolutely unknown.

Today, the majority of the CEMS students in Prague work while studying, because they have to pay their rent, tuition, living expenses and so on. Was it the same when you were a student? Did you have to work while studying?

Yes, it was same for me. I also had to work while I was

studying at Bocconi. I was one of few, however. It makes

sense to work while you are studying just in case it helps

you for your carrier development. Otherwise, it is better to

enjoy student life and to take a loan.

Nowadays students often fall in love with the country or city where they spent their exchange semester and organise their internship or even their future life there. Do you think that your exchange semester had a big impact on your future life?

This did happen and for sure is still happening now. I know

that many of my classmates moved abroad and never came

back to their home countries. They found a job, fell in love

and started a new life. I spent my semester in Milano and

since then I have a strong link to Italy. I always worked for

Italian companies and I still speak the language and go

there very often.

What about the CEMS Club? Did it already exist?

I remember the first start up meeting of the CEMS club

Prague in 2001. Then I left for my semester abroad and

when I got back I remember that the club was not yet as

active as it is today. I had much more of a CEMS life as

alumnus than as student. We were very few students and

one half was even abroad. As we had just one year, we

spent the first half abroad and the second half doing our

internship. We didn’t have a real semester where we could

study and enjoy CEMS life all together.

After school was it hard for you to choose the area where you would like to work? What was your first job after graduation from university? Do you agree that the first “real” job shapes you the most?

"Current CEMS programme is much better

Says the 33-year-old Jan Šach, one of the highest-positioned former Prague CEMSies. Starting at Whirlpool in Italy, within a few years he became the CEO of Indesit Czech Republic. In this interview he remembers what it was like to be a CEMSie in Prague.

7Quarterly

Why did you choose to study CEMS?Did it fulfil your expectations?

My main motivation at that time, in 2001, was the

possibility to study abroad at a top business school; in

particular I wanted to do my exchange semester at Bocconi

University. I was lucky because I finally also got selected for

Bocconi and it really met my expectations: Not only the

university program but also how Bocconi supported me to

get my internship in Italy which I did at the European

headquarters of Whirlpool close to Milano.

I am sure the students would be interested about the development of CEMS in the Czech Republic. Back in the day, was it a full two-year Master programme? What is the difference between CEMS then and now?

When I was a CEMS student, CEMS was as a post graduate

one-year program. I was one of the first CEMS students and

not everything was that well structured as it is now. For sure

the two-year Master program that you have today gives

students much more time to go through all exams and

internships. We had to do it in a sort of hurry.

My plan after school was very generic. I wanted to go to an

international company and work in marketing and this

really happened. I started at Whirlpool in Italy. I didn’t

have any major preference concerning the industry, but as

you said, it did shape my future career. Since then I have

always been working in consumer electronics.

CEMS Students are often very ambitious and sometimes value their careers over their personal lives. Did you manage to find a balance?

Before I joined CEMS I was not ambitious at all. Only with

CEMS and with my CEMS friends I understood that I

wanted to make a career and become a leader. Work-life

balance is the rule number one in my life and I never had

problems concerning that. I am enjoying my private life as

well as my professional life.

And now as CEO of Indesit the life must be pretty sweet, or do you still have much higher plans?

Life would have been sweet, if we were in the 90’s or before

2008. That was the period when sales were going very well,

structured, we did it in a sort of hurry"

TM

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Procter & Gamble has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands worldwide such as Gillette, Braun, Pantene, Duracell, Old Spice, Always, Ariel and many more.... P&G employs approximately 138,000 people globally, who create, manufacture, promote and sell our 300 brands in over 160 countries.

P&G?why

the construction industry was growing and the market

penetration of the home appliances sector was low. Now we

are living in an after crisis period, we are a modern market

which will never again grow at double digits. That’s the

reason why my role as the CEO of Indesit is not as sweet as

it looks. We have to work very hard to defend our market

position against fierce competition which mainly comes

from Asia.

And last but not least, would you introduce the CEMS Alumni Association a little bit?

I am part of the CEMS Alumni organisation since my

graduation in 2004 and I am enjoying it a lot. We are a

group of approximately 40 - 50 people that are very active;

we meet and go out very often. We not only remember the

nice times at school, but we also help each other in our

professional lives. Many of us are colleagues or ex-

colleagues and for sure future colleagues. In my opinion,

the CEMS alumni network has as much importance as the

CEMS degree itself. My recommendation to each student

after graduation is to join the Alumni Association. Everyone

is more than welcome.

CEMS Club Prague Quarterly, Issue 1

EditorSandra Huber

DesignOndrej Broz

ContactVŠE Office 553

Nám. W. Churchilla 4130 67 Prague 3Czech Republic

www.cems.czhttps://www.facebook.com/cems.cz

8Quarterly

©CEMS Club Prague, 2011